1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf caddy, and more particularly to a golf caddy having a single large wheel, horizontal tubular golf club holders, and a combination handle and seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, high labor costs essentially eliminate the use of caddies to carry a golfer's bag and clubs. Therefore, many golfers rent motorized golf carts which greatly increase the cost of playing and can cause damage to the golf course. There is a need for a means for a golfer, and particular older golfers, to transport the clubs around a golf course without undue exertion and which includes a seat upon which the golfer can rest while waiting for others to complete a play. Although this problem has been addressed in the prior art, known golf caddys are not totally suitable.
For example, a very early U.S. Pat. No. 1,176,031 to Cady shows a cylindrical and removable golf bag in a cradle having a pair of small wheels disposed at the lower end and a brace to permit holding the cylindrical carrier at about a 60.degree. angle when it rests. The use of small wheels, as is common with a number of other prior art caddies, makes the unit difficult to roll, especially in the rough and when the grass is wet. The use of a cylindrical holder provides no means to maintain the clubs separate and therefore clubs need to be protected by covers which adds to the inconvenience when selecting different clubs. A patent to Moreland, U.S. Pat. No. 2,359,870 discloses a combination stool and carrier which must be collapsed for transport and opened when it is at rest. This unit also uses small wheels and a cylindrical holder for the clubs. Patents to Cotton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,330 and Upham, U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,393 both approach the problem of separating the clubs on a wheeled cart or caddy by the use of vertical tubes into which the club handles are inserted. Each of these also disclose a pair of small wheels. The disadvantage of the vertical tubes is that one must pull the club upward to remove which is somewhat inconvenient. A collar for golf bags is disclosed by Wilson, U.S. Pat. No. 2,621,799 which has a pair of wide spaced small wheels and brackets having clips in which the handles of the golf clubs are inserted to hold the clubs in a horizontal position. The collar is made to accept a standard golf bag which is used for permanent storage of the clubs. While a step forward in that the horizontally disposed clubs are much easier to extract, the small wheels increase exertion during transport. A collapsable golf cart is taught by Dawson, U.S. Pat. NO. 3,266,814, which has a rectangular framework having a top surface utilized as a seat and a pair of small widely spaced wheels at the bottom thereof. A set of holders having a plurality of apertures is provided with a club inserted in each aperture and held at about a 30.degree. angle. The Dawson unit is bulky and by virtue of the small wheels would be difficult to push. U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,029 to Russell shows an improvement by the use of a pair of wheels, somewhat larger than other caddies, which permit a much easier transport. However, this golf caddy utilizes two wheels with a cradle between into which a standard golf bag or cylindrical club holder must be clamped. None of these prior art units have the desired characteristics believed ideal for the purpose.